India are under pressure, claims Steve Smith
Steve Smith has said that India would definitely be under pressure after losing the Pune Test, adding that the visitors needed just one more win to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Smith also said that he is sure that Steve O 'Keefe would be successful on the batsman-friendly Bengaluru track.
Before the series, all the talk was about India and their excellent home record but Australia's comprehensive 333-run win in Pune has shifted the entire dynamic in the visitor's
"I think they will feel
"Obviously going into this series, all I heard was four-nil to them. So they're one down and need to come back. We're one win away from retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, so things can happen pretty quickly here.
Smith emphasized that they would need to stick to the plan that has been drawn up by the support staff to ensure another positive result. The Aussie captain also added that the team will need to keep a positive mindset even when things are not going their way during the rest of the series.
"The way we played last week was such a positive sign. It was a difficult wicket and we showed them we can compete in those conditions. And more importantly, we probably showed ourselves as well," Smith explained.
"For
"You saw guys sweeping and reverse-sweeping, it's easy to do when you're ahead of the game. But you almost need to have that similar mindset (when you're not)."
The first Test was overshadowed by the nature of the playing surface which was officially rated 'poor' by the match referee Chris Broad after the five-day match ended in just three days. However, Smith said that the Chinnaswamy pitch was being reworked and appeared to be very different from the Pune one.
"It looks a little bit different to the last one. I think they were going to cut a little bit more of the grass off, but it looks like a wicket that will have a bit more pace and carry as the game goes on," Smith said giving his pitch report.
"It will take a bit more spin, but it looks like a wicket that is quite similar to what England played on recently where first innings runs are going to be crucial. If you can go big in the first innings it will set the team up."
"I think this one is more likely going to be one where we are going to have to go really big, but it could be totally different. It could play totally different to what we think at the moment.
"It's about being able to sum it up and being adaptable and being able to communicate straight away what we think the wicket is like."
Based on Smith's comments, it looks like it might be a difficult task for the spinners ahead of the second Test with just one pacer showing wicket-taking ability on the Pune pitch. Umesh Yadav's figures of 6-71 were the best among pacers on both teams on a pitch where spinners wreaked havoc. However, Smith was asked if Steve O'Keefe, who produced a brilliant performance of 12-70 in Pune, would be able to assert his dominance on a batsman-friendly pitch.
"I think he will be fine. He's got an incredible record back home on wickets that traditionally don't spin that much," Smith answered.
"He's very adaptable the way he bowls, he's been working in the nets the last couple of days in the nets at getting over the top of the ball a little bit more. So we've seen with him he's got different seam positions and different arm positions for different conditions, and I am sure he will be able to adapt fine."
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